An elected official in San Diego County is facing a recall for her measures to punish constituents over perceived COVID-19 violations and for filing a restraining order against two bloggers who disagreed with her liberal politics.
A recall petition was filed Tuesday against Democrat Cori Schumacher, a Carlsbad councilwoman, who recently proposed a taxpayer-funded security force to hunt down small businesses that remained open, along with residents walking outdoors mixing with someone from another household.
Schumacher had also filed a police report against bloggers who criticized her push to create a municipal power company that blogger Noel Breem said would benefit an electrical workers union that had donated to her campaign.
“She is a vindictive bully trying to intimidate and harass anyone who opposes her,” said Carl DeMaio, founder of the populist Reform California PAC, which organized the recall. “She is practicing cancel culture and using the courts and police to do her dirty work. You cancel a politician who uses that method and remove them from office … we send a message to all cancel culture con artists that we will no longer tolerate this behavior.”
Schumacher did not respond to a request for comment.
San Diego County has been in the news recently for its liberal politics. This month, the convention center became a temporary home for approximately 1,450 migrant girls relocated from Texas, an unpopular move with local citizens. Then, in February, a school board member said her colleagues were racist and white supremacists for voting to put teachers back in classrooms. She is also facing a recall.
Schumacher has battled with bloggers Breen and Laurence Posner for several years. The two men run different Facebook groups that highlight politics in Carlsbad, a wealthy seaside city near the famed Del Mar racetrack.
“I’ve been a Democrat for 47 years, but this is not the party of John F. Kennedy. I’m now a ‘decline to state’ party affiliation,” Breen told the Washington Examiner. “Cori is out of control. She wants to go after landlords, businesses, and liquor licenses and put them out of business if they don’t comply with the lockdown. She wants a security force to cite people walking together outside if they are from different households.”
In August, Schumacher tweeted her opposition to several county Republicans, including GOP county Chairman Tony Kvraric and the sole GOP San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond:
“Carlsbad politics now makes perfect sense @TonyKravic. It’s time for your brand of white nationalist, regressive, traditionalist/authoritarian toxic and destructive politics to GTFO of North County. And take 5 NC Mayors and Sup Desmond with you. #TimesUp”
Breen responded on Sept. 7 by telling Schumacher to “GTFO of Carlsbad.” Three days later, Schumacher filed her police report and restraining order, citing the posting but neglecting to mention her own tweet.
Judge Cynthia Freeland noted in a written opinion that the posting appears to be a critique against Schumacher as a council woman, which is protected speech.
“The post asks whether readers are ‘sick and tired of seeing innocent people being called racist’ and it states it is going to ‘borrow a line from the Councilwoman’ when telling her to ‘GTFO,'” Freeland wrote. “The post appears to be in response to Schumacher’s own August 21, 2020 Twitter post.”
In response to the restraining orders, Breen and Posner filed anti-SLAPP lawsuits, which are provided for under statutes enacted in several states in response to “a disturbing increase in lawsuits brought primarily to chill the valid exercise of the constitutional rights of freedom of speech and petition for the redress of grievances,” Freeland wrote.
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The pair will seek reimbursement of attorney fees that could be up to $100,000. A court hearing will be held Thursday to discuss the fees and whether the temporary ruling to overturn the restraining order becomes permanent.
